Report: Why Toby Keith, Jeff Jarrett ended up not buying TNA

The Toby Keith-Jeff Jarrett partnership was thisclose to buying TNA. What held the deal up?

According to a report in the Wrestling Observer newsletter, it was Bob Carter’s desire to keep his daughter, Dixie Carter, involved both on-air and behind the scenes, that kept the deal from happening.

According to the report, Bob Carter, the head of Panda Energy, which owns a controlling interest in TNA, was close in terms of money with the Keith-Jarrett group, which eventually balked at handing over money for ownership of the company with the strings attached involving Dixie Carter.

Keith and Jarrett decided that they didn’t need to purchase TNA to be able to do what they wanted to do in the wrestling business. The effort to launch a new company is still in the very, very early stages. One source described the effort as being at Stage 1 of a 10-stage process.